When it comes to purchasing commercial modules, which type of license is used? Do i purchase a license for my activated FreePBX or for my customer-account? Is it possible to take over the purchased module to another activated FreePBX?
My specific example:
I’am running a test-environment for our PBX-solution. In a few weeks, when all tests are fine, i want to set up a live-enviroment with a new/clear FreePBX. If i’am purchasing the fax-pro-module now in the test-environment, i want to have the fax-pro-module at a different time in my live-PBX.
The question is, is this possible? Did i just get a license-key for my pro-module or is this purchase coupled to my activated FreePBX? Or to my customer-account?
A module license purchase is linked permanently to a Deployment ID. The Deployment ID is assigned to a single PBX system. It is possible to move the Deployment ID between systems. The means by which a Deployment ID is tied to a system is the Zend ID**. The Zend ID (or hardware ID) is a unique hardware fingerprint of the PBX which is stored in the Portal with your Deployment ID. As long as the Zend ID and Deployment ID match, your system will continue to be licensed with all your purchased modules.
If at any point your Zend ID changes (i.e. you make significant hardware change) or if you deliberately unlink the Zend ID from the deployment, you have to re-regester the system. We allow users to do this 2x on their own, and thereafter changes require a support ticket.
**Zend is EOL and it doesn’t support current versions of PHP. In the near future there will be a change away from Zend in favor of some other system, so the names will change but licensing concepts will remain largely as described.
We host on GCP and have a failover if server dies. It just creates a brand new instance using the same drive/image/backup into another region, keeping the same external IP so I assume all install and configs will carry over.
Does this mean if it fails over, licenses will no longer be valid until I do the deactivate/reactivate?
Licenses are per server/instance. So if you have a failover scenario that involves two FreePBX systems and you want Commercial EPM for both, you need two Commercial EPM licenses. You add a third and want it there as well, that’s a third license.
Yes, I understand licensing basics, thanks. I believe you misunderstand what I was trying to ask BlazeStudios. lgaetz already answered my question. But as a failover, the first one must have failed. I never said a hot-spare, hence not another instance of the software but the same instance on different hardware which is the same scenario as if you turned off, moved the hard drive, and turn on the 2nd machine.
Google Cloud managed instance group and monitor for 1st server, stop instance 1. Create instance from latest backup disk snapshot. Script to release static ip from 1st server, attach to 2nd server. Everything else would just flow. Whole thing I predict would be 5min + monitor interval (x2 fail in a row for safety)
I’ve got a little problem now. I want to purchase the Zulu-module. The purchase of the fax-pro-module was really simple and it worked pretty good! But the problem with the Zulu-module is, that the purchase itself is not working. At the Module-Admin i cklick “Buy” and nothing happens… Is this a common bug or something? Nearly every other module is purchasable and the checkout-menu pops up. But within a couple modules and especially the Zulu-module - the little gear at the top-right keeps spinning but the checkout-menu doesnt open at all…
Is there anything to do for me to buy this module? Or to get the the checkout-module working?
EDIT: Ah, okay - i can login to the Sangoma-Portal and get to the store-menu. So, under “commercial modules a la carte” there is no Zulu-Module - but it is listed underneath within a own menu-point “Zulu UC”. So is the purchasable “Zulu” in the FreePBX module-admin-menu the same as the “Zulu UC” Licenses within the store in the Sangoma-Portal?
When I create a new VM instance-2 from snapshot, in the same region, same hard drive (same size, same type SSD / standard), and same memory then I was required to do new activation.
If detach the boot disk from VM instance-2 and attach it to the original VM instance-1 then no activation was required and I have all my commercial modules.
If I attached the boot disk from the original VM instance-1 and attach it to VM instance-2, the a new activation is required.
All testing were done in the same region/zone. I am assuming that the VM instance property define the Zend ID (or hardware ID) and not the disk. While I understand the need for failover, I am hoping that the basic functions (making and receiving phone calls, receiving fax) will work without new activation (have not test this) until the GCP service disruption/outage is over.
Thank you for your testing and reply! In short of forking out $1500 x2, HA/failover is not as easy as it needs to be. We should be allowed to unlimited detach and reattach via some sort of Sangoma Portal/ licensing API, we own the license at the end of the day.
Luckily GCP seems very stable and we’ll never need this knock wood
@lgaetz I noticed there are two dates on the Commercial Modules: Expiration Date (25 years) and Free Updates until (only one year which is sooner than the Expiration Date).
What is the difference between these dates? Does it mean I will only get updates for one year?
The license for use of the module is 25 years. The first year includes free updates/support. You have to pay an annual support fee per module to have the ability to get current updates / support on the module.
Thank you @BlazeStudios. There is good support here but I was concern about the updates, if I am a year out and my module is 14.0.12 will it stop there? or will I get 14.0.27?